Counselor Corner - Indian Lake

Welcome back to the 2016-17 School Year!

I hope this first part of the school year is going well. I look forward to seeing my many faces here at Indian Lake. Please read on to learn more about what I am doing here at Indian Lake with all of our students.

Paws Patrol! This is a positive behavioral support program that coordinates with our PBIS program which was started several years ago. This year students from the fifth grade classrooms will be helping out in our halls after school. They will be assisting Kindergardeners and preschoolers in their classrooms and helping out at bus ramp and at the pick up location. These students were chosen for their positive role model behaviors and we hope to rotate ALL fifth grade students into these jobs by the end of the year. Check out the bulletin board in our hallway which shows the students on duty for this marking period !!!

Ms. Sorenson will be in all of the classrooms monthly this year. These lessons align with the American School Counselor Association's National Standards. These monthly lessons will allow all students to have some kind of contact with her all year long. Please refer to the Counselors in the Classroom page for the topics of these lessons. In September we will be emphasizing lessons about safety. Kindergarten through first grade will be learning about stranger safety and third through fifth graders will be discussing being safe and respectful while using technology. Here is a link that many teachers are using to prepare our students for our technological world.

Red Ribbon Week will be the last week of October! Thank you, PTSO, for supporting this program at our school! We look forward to it every year and we couldn't do it without your financial support.

Support Groups will be up and running in October! Ms. Sorenson will be offering a support group for 4th and 5th graders called "Banana Splits". This group is for students who live in a split family situation. We will learn strategies to help us when living in two different homes or with one parent. Groups for students in the 2nd and 3rd grades will be offered during the second marking period. Kindergarten and First grade students will have their group opportunities after Christmas. If you are interested in your child joining a support group please return the permission slips as soon as possible. Hard copies of the permission slips will be sent home with all students prior to the group meeting. You can also find them on the website at the bottom of the Counseling Services page.

If you have any questions about any of this information don't hesitate to call or make an appointment with me. My number is (269) 321-1470.